Seventy percent of Oregonians believe all people should have equal access to a basic level of quality health care. That's one of the findings of the Oregon Values and Beliefs Project, a wide-reaching collection of surveys designed to take the pulse of Oregonians on issues that matter to them.

It used to be that the so-called Cascade Curtain snapped shut once you left Portland, and stayed closed, save for pockets of Eugene and Ashland. But a new survey conducted for Oregon Public Broadcasting and other sponsors shows that over the past decade, there's been a measurable shift in opinion that's brought Southern and Central Oregon closer to the metro area and the Willamette Valley.

Dean Thomas Gornick presides over the Archdiocese of Portland's blessing of the bikes.

Courtesy of the Portland Archdiocese

OPB
Oct. 03, 2013 5 a.m.

A new survey of 2,971 Oregonians conducted for Oregon Public Broadcasting and other sponsors suggests that religion plays some role in the lives of 61 percent of the state's residents, and that the number of Oregonians who identify as “spiritual,” though not with a particular denomination, is on the rise.

A recent survey of roughly 4,000 Oregonians, partially funded by OPB and Oregon Health Sciences University, found that 11 percent of Central Oregonians self-identify as regular smokers. On average, only 7 percent of Oregonians in other regions of the state say they smoke cigarettes regularly, according to the study.

There's something of a united front in the state when it comes to education. Eighty-percent of Oregonians in every region of the state, from Medford to Portland to Baker City, say public education is an important service. It's the one service that a majority says is "very important."